


How to Save a Billionaire's Sad, Sad Life

by thefangirl3000



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Buddy Cop AU, Drunk Bucky Barnes, F/M, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-06-08 17:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6866563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefangirl3000/pseuds/thefangirl3000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is Steve Rogers' first day as a cop in the NYPD. He has just been paired up with Bucky Barnes when Pepper Potts comes into the station, saying New York's least-favorite billionaire, Tony Stark has been kidnapped. What a great first day. Can Steve and Bucky come together to save Tony or will something else come between them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“So,” said Officer James Barnes. “You’re the rookie, eh?” Steve nodded firmly, making eye contact with his new partner. James smiled. “Not too long ago I was in your same position. It’s not exactly easy being fresh meat at the NYPD but I’m willing to show you the ropes.” Steve smiled back, gratefully. 

“Thank you, Officer Barnes. Really, thank you.” 

“No need to thank me,” he said, looking down at a case file with a stupidly flirtatious grin. “And please, call me Bucky.” Steve smiled once more as his blue eyes met Bucky’s. Their moment was interrupted by Sergeant Fury’’s booming voice. 

“Barnes! Rogers!” he shouted. The two men spun around to face his desk. “Over here,” he called again, seemingly annoyed and confused by the fact that Steve and Bucky hadn’t already made their way over to where he was seated. 

Once they reached the desk, Fury began talking a mile a minute. “I’m sure the both of you know who Tony Stark is, yes?” asked the sergeant. 

“Yes, sir,” stated Bucky, calmly, with a tone of rehearsed confidence in his voice. Steve ran his fingers across across the polished mahogany desk. Tony Stark was an infamous and important Wall Street billionaire and any case involving him had to be huge. Not good for someone’s first day on the job. Sergeant Fury cleared has throat. 

“Well, he has gone missing.” Steve’s eyes shot up. A huge case, indeed. “His assistant, Pepper Potts is waiting to be questioned,” he continued, pointing to a woman sitting in a wooden chair on the other side of the room. “When you’re done, report back to me for further instruction.”

He then dismissed the officers with a nod. The woman, Pepper had strawberry-blonde hair and was continuously picking a her now jagged nails. Steve, who was extremely nervous at this point, watched Bucky work is magic. His approach was was delicate but not condescending, like a good-cop act times four hundred. Steve hoped this didn’t mean that he would have to be mean to poor Ms. Potts. 

Bucky bent down and put a hand on Pepper’s knee, as if he was comforting a small child. “How are you?” he asked in a soft tone that made even Steve feel secure. Pepper looked up. There were tears welling in her eyes. 

“At first, I thought Tony had just gone off on one of his binge-drinking spells,” she whispered. It was obvious from her voice that she was doing everything in her power to not start sobbing. “But then,” she continued, “I got this in the mail.” She reached behind her and pulled out a crinkled white paper. There was only one line of writing on it, so the jet black ink stood out like a raven in the snow. There were water stains on the bottom of the page, too. Most likely tears. 

“It says that Tony has been kidnapped,” muttered Steve. A million thoughts were racing through his head. He looked up at Pepper’s distressed face. “How do you know this is legitimate and not some kid pulling your leg?” asked Steve. He had always been skeptical, since his best friend, Sam was a pranker. Tony’s trusty assistant exhaled a shaky breath and reached behind her once more. This time she pulled out a photo. A photo of poor Anthony Stark tied up in some fool’s basement. Or at least it looked like some fool’s basement. 

Bucky still hadn’t spoken since the note was revealed. “Barnes?” asked Steve. Bucky was staring off into the distance, repeatedly blinking as if he was trying to wish this moment away. As if he was dreaming or being consumed by a trance-like flashback. When he finally broke the heavy silence, it was with shocking news. 

“I know this handwriting,” he managed to squeak out. “And I know it well. I would recognize it anywhere and I couldn’t forget it. Trust me, I’ve tried.” Now it was Steve and Pepper’s turn to be speechless. “This is the remarkably distinguishable penmanship on none other than that of Johann Schmidt. Leader of a little street gang called Hydra, maybe you’ve heard of them.” Steve hadn’t. Despite being quite silent before, Bucky now couldn’t seem to stop talking. “They kidnapped me when I was a young boy.” Both Steve and Pepper’s jaws dropped lower than they had hung before. “I was Johann Schmidt’s slave for three years,” he spat out, visibly growing angrier. 

Bucky gripped the armrest of the old chair so hard that his knuckles turned whiter than Pepper’s blouse. He clenched his teeth and resumed staring off into space. Steve, who was still standing reached down and patted his new partner on the shoulder. He then turned to look Pepper in the eye. “We are going to find Mr. Stark, okay?” he reassured her. “I promise you that.”

Steve had been right. This case was going to be huge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky go out to celebrate Steve's first day as a police officer

“Cheers to my first day, I guess,” said Steve, raising a slender glass of champagne. He was at a somewhat fancy restaurant with Bucky and they were celebrating Steve’s first day as a cop. It also happened to be one of the most eventful days of Steve’s life. Bucky flashed a quick smile. It wasn't as suggestive as his usual grin but his face still radiated with sincerity and passion, even it if it was only for a second. They both sipped their drinks the set the fake crystal glasses down in unison. 

“The NYPD has been after these sons of bitches for years,” said Steve’s partner as he looked down at his untouched chicken parm. Steve nodded, listening intently. At this point, any information about Hydra would help their search for Tony. “We have patiently waited for them to make a move. Well, they finally did and it sure is a bold one.” 

Steve's life had always been particularly boring. Not bad, just boring. That was one of the reasons he became a police officer in the first place. The other of course, was out of spite. Nearly everyone he ever met had said the same thing, even if it was thinly veiled witha backhanded compliment.

“But Steve, you're too small and innocent to be a tough cop,” they had all said. But they were wrong. Steve could do this. He had to.

Steve slammed his fist onto the red tablecloth. “Well then let's get the bastards!” he exclaimed with a devoted smirk. Bucky raised his eyebrows and nodded his head in Steve’s direction. 

He reached for the sleek glass of champagne again. “I’ll drink to that,” said Bucky with a strong note of anger in his voice. But it wasn't dangerous anger. Every word that rolled off the tip of his tongue somehow sounded playful and soft, no matter how terrible what he was actually saying was. 

\---

Two hours and too many drinks later, Bucky was spilling secrets like toxic waste. The soft tone of his voice had since evaporated and all that was left was a dreadful past and an even more dreadful present. With every shocking piece of Bucky’s childhood that slipped out, Steve’s heart grew heavier. The alcohol that had been consumed ran through Bucky’s veins and drunk Barnes wasn't quite as pleasant and playful as Steve imagined. 

Bucky desperately needed to go home and sleep off the countless glasses of whiskey. The only problem was, Steve had no idea where he lived. Sure, he could have gone to the police station to find out but that wouldn't have exactly looked professional for either one of the men. So, Steve ultimately decided to take Bucky back to the apartment he shared with Sam. 

Steve payed for the bill as soon as possible after that. Bucky wanted to at least split the check but Steve insisted and refused to have Bucky pay, even though he had spent the most on alcohol. The trip out to the parking lot was an interesting one. Bucky, being the smart police officer he was, wanted to drive himself home but Steve refused that, too. Bucky could barely speak in full sentences or walk, let alone drive or remember where he lived. So, to Steve’s house it is. 

Bucky barely protested once Steve steered him away from his own car. It did take a great deal of effort to hoist him into Steve’s front seat, though. On the four-mile drive home, the extremely professional cop puked not once, but twice. All over the grey interior of Steve’s blue Volkswagen Beetle. The even trickier part of this expedition was getting Bucky up two flights of stairs and into his apartment. 

He fumbled with the key, attempting not to drop Bucky in the process, since he was relying heavily on Steve’s thin shoulders. When Steve was finally able to crack the door open, we was greeted by Sam chugging orange juice straight out of the bottle, as Sam often does when Steve isn’t home. He was evidently surprised by Steve’s sudden entrance. “Finally bring a cute guy home?” he asked with a mocking smirk. 

Steve gave his best friend a piercing death glare. “Shut up and help me, he’s drunk.”

“Apparently,” Sam remarked, not having lost any of his signature sass. This comment resulted in another death glare from the small blonde. After slight hesitation, Sam rushed forward to assist Steve haul a nearly passed-out Officer Barnes to the worn leather couch that resided in the back corner of their living room. After they had set Bucky down on the couch, Steve plopped his ass on the wooden floor, breathing heavily. “Need your inhaler, bud?” asked Sam, his brown eyes narrowing with a friendly concern.

Steve only shook his head and began to stand. “Sam, meet my new partner at the station, Bucky Barnes.” Sam raised his eyebrows, obviously shocked then began stroking his chin. 

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” Steve crossed his arms. The two stared down at Bucky for a few moments. Then, an idea having sprouted in his brain, Steve cautiously inched forward and reached into Bucky’s coat pocket, pulling out the man’s iPhone. As if he had done this a million times, he delicately pressed Bucky’s thumb to the fingerprint scanner and the phone unlocked. Sam just observed.

Steve swiped to the right to see Bucky’s suggested contacts. The first was a red-haired woman named Nat that he remembered seeing at the station earlier that day. He dialed her number, contemplating what he was gonna say or if she would even answer. Luckily for everyone involved, she picked up on the third ring. 

“What’s up, Buck?” said a hoarse voice. Steve paused for a moment. 

“Um, hi,” he sputtered. “This is Bucky’s new partner, Steve. I’m afraid your friend is black-out drunk. He’s on my couch right now.” There was a long sigh on the other end of the line, the she was disappointed but not very surprised. 

“Give me the adress, I’ll be right there.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and a friend come to the rescue. Sort of.

When Steve opened the door, he was surprised for two reasons. First off, Nat had gotten to his apartment scarily fast. Secondly, she was not alone. A man was leaning against the door frame. He had hair that was half-way between blonde and brown and he wore a cocky grin under his faint moustache. They didn’t even bother asking to come in. The redhead sped past Steve and and over to wear Bucky was passed out. The man trudged after her at a slower pace, taking in his new surroundings. Sam stopped him before he reached the couch. 

 

“Hold up, buddy,” he chuckled, putting an arm across the uninvited man’s chest. “Who the hell are you?”

 

The man laughed. “The name’s Clint Barton, I’m Natasha’s partner.” Clint gestured towards Nat, who, along with Steve, was trying to shake Bucky awake. Sam nodded and let him pass. The two were having trouble getting Bucky to rise out of his alcohol-induced slumber. All that was coming from him was a series of intimidating moans and groans that made everyone feel uncomfortable. 

 

“Dude, it's getting late and this is getting weird,” said Sam, completely missing the mood of the scene. “I’m going to bed.” No one really acknowledged his proclamation and instead kept their focus on poor Bucky. In that moment, even though Steve didn't know Clint or Natasha, they were united with the common goal of making sure their friend was okay. 

 

“Wait,” said a voice from down the hall. This time everyone looked up and Steve rolled his eyes. 

 

“Yes, Sam?” snapped Steve. 

 

“What were Clint and Natasha doing together at this hour?” The man’s voice dripped with a teasing version of suggestion.   
Nat opened her mouth, closed it and exchanged a mysterious look with Barton. Steve could feel the tension radiating from the little space in between them. 

 

He cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence. “Sam, that's quite enough. Go the fuck to sleep since you were so eager to moments ago.” Sam took the not-so-subtle hint and retreated back to his room with another word. Natasha and Clint stayed silent as well, turning back to Bucky's limp body.

 

Eventually, they all accepted defeat. Steve got up and filled a glass of water to place by the couch. “I’ll keep him here tonight, if that's okay. Thank you for stopping by.” Clint sighed and helped his partner off of the wooden floor. They were half way towards the door when Steve thought of a question to ask them. 

 

“Did Barnes ever tell you about his past with Hydra?” The pair stopped in their tracks and turned around. 

 

“Is that what the drinking is about?” whispered Nat. 

 

“You know the Stark case?” 

 

“Oh my god,” said Clint, so quietly that Steve barely heard him. Nat raised her left hand to cover her mouth. “Fury didn't tell us that part.”

 

Steve looked up at him. “I think he's trying to keep it as hushed as possible. Could cause a big stir.” Clint nodded. Steve had a very valid point. New York’s most valuable douchebag being captured by New York’s slimiest scum-bags could send the public into a frenzy, and not the good kind. 

Natasha hesitated for a bit, trying to find the right words. “Rogers, I think it's very important that you stick by Buck’s side throughout this case,” she stated. Steve nodded in agreement then looked back at Officer Barnes. Drunk or not, he slept so peacefully. He slept like Hydra didn't exist and he had led the picture perfect life. The silence in Steve’s living room was deafening, making the three conscious people visibly uncomfortable. 

 

Romanoff and Barton shot each other yet another long look, silently communicating the idea that it was time to leave. So, they left, but not after thanking Steve for letting a man he just met that day sleep on his couch. Once it was just him and Bucky in the room, the silence was kind of comforting to Steve. He preferred it over hearing more of Bucky’s sad story. If there's one thing about Steven Grant Rogers wants you to know about himself, it's that he hates sad stories. Everytime he looked at Bucky, he felt truly and deeply sorry for the man. 

 

Usually it was the other way around. Steve’s entire life was built around pity and he hated it. It was either someone felt very bad for poor Steve with all of his health problems and his deadbeat dad, or they looked down on him, thinking so little of someone who actually had a large brain and a huge heart, despite his frail figure. The only people who saw past all of that were his mom and Sam. Maybe Bucky, too. Steve was determined to win the trust and respect of everyone that worked in his precinct of the NYPD, and even beyond that as he grew older. He was sure he already had Bucky’s, but that easily could have been the whiskey telling those stories. 

 

Steve stood in the middle of his living room, watching over for Bucky for another few minutes, even though he was utterly exhausted and sleep called to him like a child screaming for his mother. He eventually trudged down the hall to his bedroom, which was directly across from Sam’s, their bathroom being at the end of the hall. The apartment was small, but the two of them lived in it quite comfortably. 

 

As soon as Steve reached is room, he collapsed onto his bed, not even bothering to shut the door behind him. It had been a tough day and even tougher ones lay ahead.


End file.
